Half of the board’s resources will now be directed at clearing the backlog, with a new short hearing process aimed at countries from where more than 80 per cent of claimants have historically been accepted.

Refugees from Syria, Iraq and Eritrea will continue to be processed separately under a fast track system.

Campaigners have called on Canada to keep its doors open to refugees in the wake of Trump’s attempts to suspend the U.S. program.

The Canada Border Services Agency says it received a total of 248 claims from Mexicans in 2016, compared to 111 in 2015.

The increase will be closely watched, although numbers remain significantly fewer than 2009, when the previous Conservative government imposed the visa restriction because more than 9,500 asylum claims were made by Mexicans.

Government analysis says lifting the visa requirement will cost $433.5 million over the next decade, partly offset by an expected $171.6 million boost to the economy through increased tourism, investment and trade.

Canada has also promised to lift a visa requirement for Romanians and Bulgarians during 2017, as part of negotiations that saw the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) signed in late 2016.

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